Matter of Perspective
by rewob17
Summary: Three different character perspectives from the end of the episode "Mai Ka Wa Kahiko" (the Rick Peterson episode).
1. Danny Williams

A/N: I blame the DWOCD forum for this story. Somehow in some discussion it was decided that I should write from different people's points of view during the Rick Peterson episode. I'm not sure what possessed me to agree and think this was a good idea! I've really struggled over this at times which is why you only get perspective from three people and not everyone involved - I just stuck to the main players for this particular part of the episode. This could be considered a very loose companion to my story "Remains of the Day."

Thanks: Thanks to Wenwalke for the quick beta. Any mistakes are my own. Thanks to Fifilla for helping me get through this story and not just give up on it. I appreciate the support and suggestions.

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Danny had been in a daze since the moment he looked into that airplane bathroom to find their victim was Dave Collins. He had taken it personally, but it hadn't felt like a personal attack on him until much too late. He was kicking himself for not considering that as a possibility. But it had become very personal very quickly and now he was running out of options as he felt around the garbage can for the gun that Peterson said was waiting there. He tried to control his shaking hands and calm his breathing. He felt like he'd been running on pure adrenaline for hours.

Danny could feel Peterson's eyes on him, and he wanted nothing more than to take the gun and use it. And it wasn't Step Stan he currently wanted to use it on, but that's what Peterson was expecting. Danny's mind whirled as he tried to think of a way out of this predicament and still find and rescue Grace. His hand finally found the gun. He pulled it out and automatically checked it. He felt a little better with the gun in hand; a little bit more in control and though he didn't know how yet, he knew that there was no way he was going to let Peterson win this one. He just had to keep his head about him and try to think clearly. He took a deep breath to focus himself.

As he looked up, he could see Stan headed his way. Time seemed to slow for Danny as his detective's mind and observation skills kicked in. He noticed all the people in the park but was relieved to see that there were fewer than he had feared. He heard Stan talking to him and as he raised the gun and tried to explain what was going on, he saw in Stan's eyes the exact moment that the man knew Danny was really going to shoot him. Danny hated what he was about to do, and hoped there would be a way to make this right eventually. He had never really hated Stan, but had hated the circumstances surrounding his relationship with Stan and right now, he most definitely hated the fact that he was about to shoot an innocent, unarmed man and would not regret it at all. Whatever it took to get Grace back. That was all that mattered to him right now.

Danny heard Steve yelling at him and relief flooded his system that his friend had found him. He knew that meant Chin and Kono had to be nearby as well. He just had to make this look good to give Chin and Kono time to get Peterson into custody. Danny raised the gun and took careful aim at Stan. He heard Stan's question, "For Grace?" and saw the man square his shoulders to take a bullet willingly for his stepdaughter. Danny didn't have time to dwell on that as he pulled the trigger and then put two more shots into the ground next to Stan as Steve finally caught up to him.

Danny ignored Stan writhing on the ground clutching his wounded shoulder despite his inner voice screaming at him to help the man. An even louder inner voice was screaming at him to go find his daughter. He turned, knowing Steve was right there, and grabbing his partner by the top of his vest, told him, "He's okay, listen. I put one in his shoulder. The rest are in the grass, okay? Tell Rachel I'm sorry." There was so much more he wanted to say, but he had to find Grace. The longer it took, the more it felt like he was suffocating. Right now, he felt as if his chest would simply cave in from the weight and pressure of the stress.

Danny felt buoyed by the brief contact with his partner, knowing that he didn't have to deal with this alone any more. He had also heard Chin's authoritative voice followed by Kono's and knew that they had Peterson in custody. He knew what he had to do and was willing to accept the consequences for his actions later. Right now all that mattered was finding out where Grace was.

Without a second thought, and certainly without hesitation, Danny strode over to where Peterson stood handcuffed between Chin and Kono and shot him in the leg. He knelt down and with barely contained fury questioned Peterson about Grace, "Where is she? I swear the next one will be in your head... Where. Is. She?"

For a moment, Danny thought Peterson wasn't going to tell him. The thought stole his breath away and his vision tunneled as though he was going to black out. He pushed that back and tapped the barrel of the gun against Rick's forehead. Danny's eyes glinted dangerously and his voice was rough and deadly, "Make no mistake, Rick. I will kill you if you don't tell me."

"Really, D?" Peterson's voice dripped with disbelief. "You would kill your old friend?"

Danny stared into Peterson's eyes and saw no trace of the partner he used to know nor the man he used to call friend. That man had effectively died to him ten years ago. He matched Peterson's cocky grin with one of his own, "Watch me."

Danny managed to get the information and make it to the car without his hands totally shaking though inside he was a quaking mess as nightmare images of past kidnapping cases floated through his mind. For once, he wasn't about to argue with Steve about driving his car.

On the ride to the storage units where Peterson said Grace was hidden, Danny was once again grateful for his partner's stalwart presence. No words were spoken between the two, but Danny could feel the support and determination emanating from his friend. Danny's stomach was in knots as he pounded on the door to the storage unit and he swore his heart stopped as he listened for Grace's voice.

"Daddy!"

Danny's heart started beating again when he heard his daughter's muffled voice, "Stay away from the door, Baby, okay?"

Danny shot the lock off the door and heaved the door up with Steve close behind. He tossed boxes aside and the sight of his daughter bound to the chair was both the most beautiful sight to behold and the most infuriating. He quickly knelt in front of her and placed his hands gently on her face and then hugged her, "Grace, you okay, Baby? Huh?"

Grace nodded and tried not to cry any more. Her Danno had found her just like she knew he would.

"You sure?" Danny hated to see the tear streaked face but was so relieved to see her alive.

"I wanna go home," Grace's voice trembled. She couldn't wait for Uncle Steve to cut away the duct tape so she could hug her dad like she'd been wanting to do since the whole, terrible nightmare started.

"I know, Baby. We're gonna go home right now. It's all over, Monkey, okay? C'mere." Danny picked her up and held her tight which still wasn't close enough for either one of them right now. Danny threw a relieved look at his partner but all he could do was whisper in Grace's ear, "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry."

As Danny emerged from the storage unit carrying Grace, Steve close by, he could still feel his heart beating much too fast and could feel his legs starting to tremble with stress and fatigue. He felt as if he'd just run a marathon. Twice. Rachel ran up and he enfolded her in his hug with Grace. He was thankful that she didn't deck him for shooting Stan. He was going to have to talk with her about that later and hope that she wouldn't want to take Grace away from him for that. He'd also have to face Stan to apologize and explain. He shrugged off those thoughts for another time as he relished the feel of his daughter, safe and unharmed, in his arms. After what felt like too short of a time, he allowed Rachel to take Grace and urged them towards the waiting ambulance to get Grace checked out.

With every fiber of his being, Danny wanted to go with them and never let Grace go ever again, but he also knew he owed his team an explanation and to thank them for all they had done for him today. He took a deep breath and turned to accept the consequences for the most terrifying day of his life.


	2. Stan Edwards

A/N: I really felt for poor Step-Stan in this episode. It really struck me when he squared his shoulders and was willing to let Danny shoot him "for Grace." As a step-parent myself I can understand what he's going through and how tough it is to love someone else's child as your own and be willing to do what you need for them. I also wondered why he was still at his office rather than with Rachel at HPD so I had to explain that because that bothered me a lot!

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Stan ended the call with Danny and jammed his cell phone in his pocket before leaving his office as fast as he could, quickly telling his assistant where he was headed. He opted to take the stairs instead of the elevator so he could work off some of his pent up frustration. He shook off the feeling that something was "off" about Danny's call. He chalked up the stress and near tears in Danny's voice to the fact that Grace was missing. He huffed out a frustrated breath as he jogged down the steps. When Rachel had called him from HPD to tell him what was going on, he'd immediately said he was headed over there, but she had insisted that he stay at work and she'd contact him when she knew more.

As he entered the bright sunshine, he absentmindedly put on his sunglasses and jogged across the street to Ala Moana Park. Danny hadn't specified where to meet, but scanning the parking lot, he didn't see the Camaro so he wandered around a little to look around and make sure Danny wasn't waiting somewhere else. It bothered him to be stuck at work at Rachel's insistence rather than with her where he would know what was going on. Maybe that's why Danny was calling, he mused, to give him an update. Seemed odd that Rachel wouldn't call, but maybe she couldn't. What if something had happened to Grace? That would explain why Danny had called and sounded close to tears and why he wanted to meet in person rather than telling him over the phone. He prayed that wasn't the case. He loved Grace like his own child and would be devastated if something happened to her.

Stan sighed and scanned the park again for any sign of Danny. He turned around and thought of calling Danny when he suddenly spotted him leaning over a garbage can. At first, Stan thought Danny was leaning over the garbage can to be sick and his heart skipped a beat at the thought that something must surely be wrong with Grace for Danny to be physically ill. He watched as Danny straightened and Stan noticed something in Danny's hand. It took a split second to realize it was a gun though it didn't look like his service weapon. Stan whipped off his sunglasses and called for Danny.

As Danny approached, Stan tried asking what was going on and if it was about Grace. Stan couldn't quite read the look on Danny's face as he approached. He really didn't deal with the man much, but knew that he was certainly a dedicated detective and even more dedicated father. The issue with the housing commissioner a while back had made him respect the man and despite the issues in the months following, he still respected the man and certainly knew that today had been hard on him.

When Danny raised the gun to haphazardly point it in his direction, Stan raised his hands a little and questioned what was going on. He was stunned when Danny explained about the guy in his car wanting Danny to shoot him. The look in Danny's eyes left no doubt that he would shoot him as required though Stan saw no pleasure there and, indeed, he saw regret and something else Stan couldn't quite identify. And though he didn't understand what was going on, if this was the one thing that would save Grace, then so be it.

He squared his shoulders a little and looked Danny square in the eyes, "For Grace?" Whatever else he was going to say was drowned out by the gunshot. Stan found himself on his back clutching his shoulder before he could do anything else. Being shot hurt more than he ever thought possible. There were two more shots but he felt no more pain and realized that Danny had put the shots into the ground right next to him.

Stan felt pressure on his wounded shoulder and barely registered Commander McGarrett's presence as he tried to breathe through the pain. Suddenly, the commander's hands were replaced by smaller, softer hands, and he heard Rachel's name and instructions to keep pressure on the wound. He attempted a smile for his wife's benefit but figured it probably came closer to a grimace. Despite the agony in his shoulder and the blood pounding in his ears, he clearly heard another gunshot and Commander McGarrett yelling for Danny again.

Shortly after the latest gunshot, Stan heard several sirens followed by yelling and footsteps all around. Just as the paramedics made it over to kneel next to him, he heard more sirens and the squealing tires of several cars racing away. He only hoped that meant good things for Grace. He still wasn't sure what exactly was going on, but knew it had to be for Grace.

"Stan?" Rachel knelt next to him again. He hadn't realized she'd moved away when the paramedics took over.

Stan looked up at his wife and noticed Kono standing behind her. He felt as if he'd missed something. "Rachel? What's wrong?"

"They've gone after Grace," Rachel swallowed down more tears. "Will you be okay... should I stay, or..."

"Go," Stan urged her. "Go make sure she's okay. I'm fine."

Rachel didn't need any more urging as she and Kono dashed away. Stan turned his attention back to the paramedics and all their poking and prodding while asking endless questions.

On the way to the hospital, Stan hoped and prayed that Danny and the others got to Grace in time. He really felt out of the loop but still felt as if he'd played an important part in the outcome. The short conversation with Danny over the barrel of the gun kept running through his head. He had seen in Danny's eyes that the man wouldn't hesitate to shoot him, but he hadn't known if his intent was to shoot to kill or merely wound. Obviously, he was happy with the outcome, but either way, he knew that he would do it again if it meant saving his stepdaughter. Whether or not he and Danny ever talked about this moment in their relationship ever again, he knew that he, at least, was satisfied with the outcome if it meant saving Grace. On second thought, maybe he needed to talk to Danny about that and make sure the man knew he held no ill-will over the incident and to assure him that he would not use this in any way if there was ever another custody issue.

Stan nodded to himself, yes, he definitely needed to talk to Danny soon and make sure he knew that Stan would do everything in his power to protect Grace and that he would not make Danny suffer any more over this incident than he already had.

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Thank you for all of the reviews, follows and favorites; I appreciate them all.


	3. Steve McGarrett

Steve McGarrett drove through the streets of Honolulu like a man possessed. He glanced over at Chin who stoically hung onto the handle over the passenger door. This is where Steve really missed Danny and his endless ranting about his driving. Chin never said a word as Steve swerved the Silverado through traffic expertly weaving it through tight spaces which Steve was sure Danny would call "recklessly endangering innocent citizens not to mention your partner's life." Steve was equally as sure that in this case, Danny wouldn't mind a bit.

They pulled into the parking lot at Ala Moana Park and Steve hastily parked, not caring if he was in between the lines or whether or not he was blocking anyone. He was intent only on the situation and his partner whom he quickly located. He hastily instructed Chin to find Peterson before he took off running towards his partner, aneurism face firmly in place, he was sure.

As Steve raced towards Danny, he saw Danny raise a gun towards Stan and Steve yelled to get his attention. Danny either didn't hear, or didn't listen, and Steve watched helplessly as his partner fired on Stan. He saw Stan fall and Danny advance on him as if to fire again. He watched as Danny fired two more times from a distance that would be impossible to miss. Steve hesitated and stopped for a fraction of a second as he tried to process what he had just witnessed. Had his partner just executed his ex-wife's husband right in front of him? Steve's mind whirled at the repercussions. There was no way Steve could get him out of it if Danny had just killed an unarmed, innocent man. Steve would be forced to arrest him and even testify against him. All this and a million other thoughts raced through his mind in a split second before he was on the move again. To an outside observer, Steve barely hesitated in stride before reaching out to his partner.

As he reached the fallen man, Steve couldn't even spare him a look as he watched his partner. He hated that he had his gun ready and was treating Danny like a suspect who might make a sudden move at any moment. When Danny looked up and made eye contact with him, Steve saw the pain in his eyes. Suddenly, Danny hooked a hand on the top of his vest.

"He's okay, listen. I put one in his shoulder. The rest are in the grass, okay? Tell Rachel I'm sorry." And Danny ran off again.

Steve knelt next to Stan and helped put pressure on the bleeding shoulder wound. He tried to encourage him but was worried about what his partner would do next. Thankfully, Rachel soon knelt next to him and though she was crying and confused, Steve got her to put pressure on the wound so that he could attempt to stop his partner from whatever the semi-crazed father had in mind towards Peterson.

Steve heard the gunshot and started running again. He reached Danny's side in time to hear him threaten Peterson. When Peterson finally gave up Grace's location, Steve immediately grabbed the gun from Danny's now-shaking hand and gave it to Chin while gesturing to Peterson, "Give that piece of scum to Duke. EMS can tend to him after they're done with Stan. C'mon, Danny, I'm driving."

"I'll get Rachel," Kono informed them as she jogged away.

Neither Steve nor Danny noticed the brilliant sunset that bathed the island sky in brilliant oranges, reds and yellows as they made their way through the busy streets to the storage units Peterson had identified as his hiding place for Grace. Steve stole several glances at his friend, but not a word was exchanged between the two. Steve heard Danny mutter every now and then, but was fairly sure his partner wasn't even aware he was speaking out loud. By the time they turned the corner to the row of storage units that had better contain Grace, Danny's steady litany of, "We're coming, Grace. Hang on, Monkey," was getting louder and louder, but Steve was still certain Danny had no idea that he wasn't saying it in his head.

Danny was out of the car before Steve could even throw it into park. He raced after his partner in time to hear Grace respond behind the storage unit door. Danny shot the lock off, and then they were both heaving the door up and tearing the box wall down to reach Grace. The sight of Grace tied to the chair, upset but seemingly unharmed, made Steve's heart soar. He could only imagine what it did to his friend, but they had done it. They had found her, and she was okay! He quickly got out his knife and waited for Danny to lean back from his hug before he leaned down to cut through the restraints holding Grace to the chair, "Hang on, Gracie. I'll have you out of there in a minute, okay?" Steve assured her.

As soon as Grace was freed from the chair, Danny swept her up and muttered , "I'm so sorry," into her hair as she wrapped arms and legs around her father. Steve breathed a sigh of relief and shared a brief look with Danny as they moved to the door to get out of the small space and take Grace to freedom.

Steve watched the tearful reunion between mother and child as Danny led them to Rachel who came running from Kono's car. He shared a look with Chin and Kono and nodded slightly. He let out another breath. As more officers and emergency personnel filled the small space around them, Steve continued to watch his partner. He knew Danny would need more support soon as the adrenaline rush he was on couldn't last forever. Steve promised himself he'd be there for his partner as long as needed to help him through this ordeal that was over but would live on in his partner's mind forever.


	4. Coming to Terms

A/N: Here's the final chapter to wrap things up. I know I could have done points of view for other people, but I wimped out and only did those that I thought were most important. However, if the muse strikes again and decides I need to do others, I can always add more chapters.

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Danny hesitated at the foot of the steps leading to the front door of the Edwards' residence. He haltingly made his way up the steps and raised a hand to knock on the door but hesitated again. His hand dropped to his side as he sighed heavily and turned to go back down the stairs. He was reaching for the door handle on the car when he heard the door open behind him.

"Danny?"

Danny turned to find Stan silhouetted in the doorway, right arm in a sling and held protectively against his torso. Danny stepped closer and rested his left foot on the bottom step, "Sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you. I was just going to check in on Grace, but it's late. I'll go."

Again, Danny turned to return to the car, but, again, Stan stopped him, "Wait! Come on in, please. Grace fell asleep on the way home from the hospital and when I checked on them a little bit ago, Rachel had fallen asleep with her."

"It's okay," Danny tried to assure him. "I don't want to disturb them. Or you."

"Please," Stan urged, swinging the door open wider in invitation. "Come in. I wanted to talk to you anyway."

Danny bit back a sigh, nodded, and walked into the man's house.

Stan quietly closed the front door and gestured for Danny to go into the sitting room, "Please, have a seat."

Danny walked into the lavish room, but didn't sit, "I'll just stand. I'm still too keyed up to sit." He snuck a glance at Stan, "But you should sit before you fall over."

Stan nodded and sank gratefully into a wingback chair, "These pain meds are awful. They really help the pain, but they make me feel off-balance and a bit woozy."

Danny nodded in understanding, "The good stuff will do that to you."

"Look, Danny," Stan adjusted himself in the chair a little, grimacing as a shot of pain travelled through his injured arm. "I'm glad you came over. I want you to know that I don't hold you responsible for what happened today. I'm still not sure I understand everything that went on today, but I wanted to make sure you know that I love Grace as if she were my own." Stan held up a hand to forestall the protest from Danny that he saw coming. "I know, I know, it'll never be the same as the love you have for her, but the fact is that I do love her, and I will do everything in my power to protect her when she's with me. And if that means taking a bullet for her..." he shrugged and glanced down at his sling, "Well, I'll do that, too."

Danny stopped his nervous pacing and sat on the edge of the couch near Stan's chair. He wearily rubbed both hands over his face before looking at Stan again. He let out a breath and felt a little of the held over anxiety from the day melt away. "Thank you, and I'm sorry for shooting you. Peterson wanted me to kill you to drive Rachel and Grace away from me..."

Stan watched as Danny fought for words and felt he needed to reassure him some more, "Danny, that won't happen. I'll never use this against you to take Grace from you."

Danny nodded though still seemed distant as he fought with his turmoil of emotions, searching for the right words, "I knew killing you wouldn't solve anything, but I had to make it look good so Peterson would think I'd done what he wanted. I knew my team was there so I had to buy time for them to get to Peterson. I'm sorry I had to shoot you. Sergeant Lukela told me that you've declined to press charges so I'm grateful for that as well."

Stan shrugged, "We both did what we had to do. Pressing charges would have solved nothing and hurt Grace even more."

Danny stood as if he couldn't sit any more. He paced in short strides behind the couch he'd recently vacated. "Thank you for being willing to take that bullet for Grace. Don't think for a moment that I didn't notice you were willing to die for her." He paused, searching for the words to express everything he felt about that and then shook his head, "Just... thank you."

Stan nodded, "Any time."

Danny raised an eyebrow and for the first time in hours, a hint of a smile played about his lips, "Really? I'll have to remember that I have your permission to shoot you any time."

Stan opened his mouth to reply but was interrupted by a wave of Danny's hand.

"Don't get up. I'll see myself out. Go get some rest and take care of that shoulder." Danny paused at the front door again and glanced over his shoulder and softly whispered again, "Thank you," before slipping out the front door.

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A/N2: Thank you for reading and reviewing.


	5. Into the Future

A/N: Okay, so apparently I wasn't as done with this story as I thought I was! We have one more chapter thanks to Alisa123's suggestion about a scene between Steve and Danny. This chapter is for Alisa123 - thanks for the great idea. I hope this is sort of what you had in mind.

The episode title translated to "Out of the Past" so I thought it fitting that my last chapter be titled "Into the Future" so Danny can put Peterson behind him.

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Danny drove away from the Edwards' residence feeling a little better than before. He was glad Grace was sleeping and looked forward to seeing her tomorrow. He was not looking forward to a conversation with Rachel since he was sure she would not be as understanding as Stan had been, and it wasn't even Rachel he had shot! Danny let his thoughts wander for several minutes and they fluctuated between happy memories of Grace to what might have been had the day gone differently. Suddenly, he found himself pulling into his partner's drive.

Danny looked at the dark house and then at the clock. He winced when he saw the readout display of 12:47. Steve was probably fast asleep so he could get up at an ungodly hour to swim half of the Pacific before breakfast. He wasn't even sure why he'd come here. He'd had every intention of going straight home and going to sleep, but as his mind had wandered, he'd wound up here. He was just putting the car in reverse when his phone dinged to tell him he had a text.

Danny looked at the message and smiled. It was from Steve and read, "Hurry up. The beer's getting warm. I'm out back."

Danny walked around the house to see Steve sitting in a chair at the water's edge. He sauntered over and sat in the other chair. He accepted a beer from Steve with a nod.

Steve studied his partner as he handed him the beer. Even in the dark, he could see the stress lines around his eyes and mouth coupled with the fatigue threatening to overtake him. "You okay?"

Danny shrugged and took a pull from the beer bottle, "I'm not sure."

Steve waited knowing his partner would start talking soon. That's why Steve had been waiting for him.

"I went to check on Grace."

"How's she doing?" Steve's eyes crinkled in worry.

Danny half shrugged, "She was sleeping. I, uh, talked to Stan instead."

Steve winced, "How'd that go?"

"Better than I thought, actually," Danny sounded surprised. "I think we're good now. He told Duke he didn't want to press charges, and he assured me he won't use this in a custody battle or anything."

"Do you believe him?"

Danny nodded, "I do. Rachel on the other hand..."

"We'll face that when the time comes. For now enjoy the fact that Gracie is okay."

"I know," Danny swallowed down a lump that suddenly formed in his throat, "but this could have gone so much worse today. What if he didn't tell me where she was? What if I'd lost my baby girl today, Steve? Then what would I do? It was so close...Too damn close."

Steve heard the despair in his friend's voice and reached across to put a hand on his arm, "But you didn't. Grace is fine and Peterson's behind bars where he belongs. You can't dwell on what could have happened. You have to concentrate on here and now and the fact that Grace is fine. You need to get some sleep and put this day behind you. Tomorrow's a new day and everything will look better in the daylight."

Danny nodded and took a final pull from the beer bottle before surreptitiously wiping away a tear. His voice was a little rough from unshed tears and his eyes glistened in the dark as he looked at his partner, "You're right. Rick's in the past once and for all, and thanks to you and everyone else today, I still have a future with Grace in it."

Steve stood and offered his hand to Danny, "C'mon, partner, you need some sleep and I know just the couch for you."

Danny allowed himself to be pulled up and threw his arm around Steve's shoulder as Steve did the same. They slowly walked back to the house, leaving the past behind them.

As Danny gratefully settled on Steve's couch for the rest of the night, he couldn't resist a jab at his partner as he headed up the stairs to his own room, "You know, Babe, your mammal to mammal skills are really improving."

The partners grinned at each other and nodded in understanding. Tomorrow would be a much better day.

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A/N: Okay, now we're done... unless CinderH and/or my muse get ahold of me for more points of view...


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